The Employers’ Voice

Dear Colleagues,

I’m most excited to share with you that the RAND 4.0 study, along with a first of its kind Hospital Value Dashboard, will be launched at our National Hospital Price Transparency Conference on May 5, 2022! This hybrid conference will be open to the public at no charge. Onsite attendance will be limited to 100 people, and as we had over 500 people attend the 2020 conference virtually, we are happy to offer a livestream option again. Forum members will receive priority for attending the conference in person. For registration and sponsorship opportunities, please see below.

While COVID-19 has created challenges for all of us, our frontline physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others continue to endure the unimaginable as we approach the 2 year mark. As such, it was the Forum’s pleasure to provide 95 boxed lunches to Eskenazi Health’s medicine residents (who cover the ICUs and hospital floors), as well as the Emergency Department providers/staff, a few weeks ago. You may wish to consider having lunch delivered to frontline providers/staff in your community.

Thank you for sending ideas for inclusion in this newsletter. Keep those coming. See you at our upcoming all-stakeholder meeting.

Best,

Gloria Sachdev
President and CEO, Employers’ Forum of Indiana

2022 National Hospital Price Transparency Conference

May 5, 2022 | 8:30 am – 4:45 pm EDT
Indiana Landmarks Center
1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202
(immediately followed by networking & cocktails)

Registration is now open for our 2022 conference!
This year we will share the findings from RAND 4.0, launch our brand new hospital value dashboard, and hear from employers and industry experts.
Registration is complimentary for all guests thanks to generous support from Arnold Ventures.

Learn More and Register

Sponsorship Opportunities Available!
We are currently accepting applications for conference sponsors.
Learn more about this unique opportunity and apply at nhptc.org.

Inside the Forum

Forum Member Corner

Indiana Pharmacists Association
The Indiana Pharmacists Association issued an appreciation letter to acknowledge the invaluable services that pharmacists and pharmacy workers provide to communities. Read the letter.

America Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Indiana
Early physical therapy intervention can help prevent and reduce the impact of common musculoskeletal conditions, which contribute to ever-rising healthcare costs. Check out this article by APTA to learn about the benefits of physical therapy and discover strategies to optimize its impact on musculoskeletal costs for employers.

Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming All-Stakeholder Meeting

March 24, 2022 |1:30 – 2:45 p.m.
View the Agenda
Zoom invitations were sent to members on Feb. 22. For questions contact us.

Meet the Forum’s Interns

Zoona Ahmad | Policy Intern

Zoona began her role as the Policy Intern for the Employers’ Forum of Indiana in May of 2021. She is currently a third-year professional student pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Purdue University. Zoona is very excited to help improve healthcare in Indiana and help maximize access to healthcare.

What has been your favorite project you have worked on as an intern for the Forum?
My favorite project to work on has been the Vaccine Hesitancy Project where I helped to compile COVID-19 Dashboards comparing vaccinated vs. unvaccinated admissions in Indiana hospitals. It has been rewarding to create a resource that can help employers support vaccination efforts. I want to further highlight this resource to local newspapers so that more Hoosiers have access to it. The more data Hoosiers have regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, the better decisions they can make.

Why did you choose Pharmacy?
I have always known I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. Ever since I was a child, I have seen my dad, a doctor, talk about helping patients so I naturally gravitated towards healthcare. I wanted to pursue Pharmacy because it is where I felt I could personally make the biggest impact. I love science and I love patient care, and Pharmacy is a wonderful bridge between the two. Pharmacists are highly accessible to the community and they contribute to making a complex medication regimen personalized and understandable for every patient which is what ultimately drew me to Pharmacy.

What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy. I am a huge football fan and this was the first book I read from the perspective of a coach. It was interesting to read about all the ups and downs Coach Dungy faced in life that led to his Super Bowl win. Though I am a Steelers fan, through this book I also became a Coach Dungy fan.

Ahmad El-Afandi | Policy Intern

Ameer El-Afandi is currently a third-year professional student at Purdue university pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy. Ameer is excited in making healthcare more accessible to people and help expand the role of pharmacists through policy and advocacy.

What has been your favorite project you have worked on as an intern for the Forum?
The most fulfilling project I worked on was crafting different legislation and policy ideas to try to incorporate in Indiana. These ideas revolved around making healthcare more affordable to the population of Indiana. We looked through various bills throughout the country and see what could best be adapted to here in the state of Indiana. Creating this document gives us a better view on the different ways we can help improve drug and healthcare affordability, which is a topic I’ve always wanted to address.

Why did you choose Purdue?
I grew up near Milwaukee, Wisconsin which is a relatively big city, which I still love to this day. But after living in a big city for some time it loses its luster. I’ve since preferred living in a smaller area and wanted to stay away from the hustle of big cities for college. When I was looking into different colleges I learned that Purdue is one of the top public schools in the nation, has a strong pharmacy program, and is in a relatively small town. Seeing this opportunity was a perfect match for me as I knew I wanted to go to school for pharmacy and wanted to receive a strong education, but lots of the other options sacrificed my other desire of being in a smaller town. Finding and attending Purdue has been one of the best decisions of my life.

If you were not going to school to be a pharmacist what career would you choose?
I would love to be a teacher! I’ve always had a passion for helping educate the newer generations as they are our future. Teachers play a critical role in our society and being a part of that environment would make me feel so fulfilled. I would preferably be an elementary school teacher as the kids there are so fun and I believe that is where the kids are more willing to create a relationship between the student and teacher.

Policy Highlights

Hospital Price Transparency

Indiana legislative leaders take aim at ‘out-of-control’ health care prices (IBJ)

House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Rod Bray sent a joint letter in January to 20 hospital and insurance executives, telling them to submit a plan by April 1 that would lower Indiana’s hospital prices to the national average or lower by 2025. The letter pointed out that Indiana’s hospital facility fees—or the expenses charged by hospitals to cover their overhead and keep the doors open—are the fifth-highest in the country, according to a 2020 study by the RAND Corp. Read the full story.

Nonprofit Indiana Hospital Public Forums

An Indiana bill passed into law during the 2021 Indiana legislative session that requires nonprofit hospitals and insurers to hold an annual public forum meetings to discuss pricing receive feedback from the community. Find recording links.

IU Health announces price freeze at first-ever hospital transparency meetings (Indy Star)
Facing criticism over high fees and profits, IU Health rolls out 5-year price (IBJ)
IU Health Holds Pricing Flat Amid Hospital Price Transparency Push (Recycle Intelligence)
Michael Hicks: IU Health’s price freeze is a gimmick (Star Press)
The Data on IU Health’s Price Freeze (The Country Economist)
High-Priced Hospitals in Indiana Press Their Political Luck (WSJ)

In the News

15 Finds Out: How transparent are NE Indiana hospital prices? (Wane.com)
• Be sure to check out the video on this page, Hospital Transparency: The Cost of Having a Baby